Kosher Food and Drink

I think the “in-town” vs “out-of-town” dynamic is somewhat contrived, mostly because I abhor the idea that Jews who aren’t from the NJ/NY area are somehow “less than” the Jews who live in those places, or that there’s some sort of miniature American diaspora that those of us outside of NYC live in. However, one thing I cannot ignore is that the massive aggregation of Jews in New York (and the Boca-to-Miami corridor, and Los Angeles) produces some spectacular restaurants that you’re just not going to find in smaller communities. In my opinion, Bonito 47 is one of those restaurants.

This article is a review is of Bonito 47 (114 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036; (212) 209 8822; bonitonyc.com; under OU supervision; meat), at which my family and I had the distinct pleasure of dining over winter break.

Bonito has an unassuming exterior near Times Square. We didn’t have any trouble finding it (there’s a sign), but be advised that traffic can be utterly awful in the area – we ditched our Uber and hoofed it the remaining half mile to make our reservation time. (Notably, Uber also has the wrong address for the restaurant, so make sure you use the right one listed on their website.)

When we entered, we immediately took the stairs down to the lower level. If stairs are a problem, there’s also an elevator. We came out at the reception area, and a pair of cheerful receptionists noted that we had a reservation, and ushered us to our table. A lot of other restaurants should take notes – high quality service begins even before you’re seated, and Bonito was on top of it.

The ambience was excellent. Subdued lighting, soft music, and tasteful (but sparse) decoration. I don’t think there’s any one right way to decorate a restaurant, but as long as it’s consistent, sticks to theme, and isn’t too distracting, I’m pretty good with it. They did have a menorah lit when we came in, with some doughnuts in front of it (I have no idea if they were free or not).

The service was prompt in getting us menus and advising us of the specials of the day (and the market fish). The menus were single-page, but had addendums for sushi and drinks. One thing of interest for those of you with kids: they do have a kids menu, which is a $25 prix fixe course. I noticed a lot of other families with children there, and I’m guessing this is what made that viable. Kudos to them for making fine dining affordable for families. The flip side of this is that if you’re looking for a restaurant with fewer kids around, Bonito’s probably not what you’re after.

With regards to menu choices, Bonito 47 follows a pretty safe steakhouse pattern. There’s chicken! There’s steak! There’s salmon! If you want to spend a lot of money, they’ll give you the opportunity, but most people ordering drinks, appetizers, and mains will probably be spending in the $125 per person range, which is certainly pricey, but about normal for a higher-end kosher steakhouse in Manhattan.

After some general review of their options, my kids decided they were not children’s menu material, and ordered the steak and eggs (medium rare, naturally). My wife ordered a special of the day – lamb shank – and I went with the crispy artichoke appetizer and chicken supreme. The server was quite happy to talk through the choices with us, steering us towards what she felt would make us the happiest.

The artichoke came out first, and it was very tasty. The artichoke pieces were fried to perfection, the sprinkle of beef bacon added some flavor, and the cashew Parmesan added a lot to the dish. The family also really enjoyed it. To be entirely honest, the novelty of eating artichoke at a kosher establishment was almost enough on its own – it seems like kashrus agencies are a little twitchy about artichokes, and I haven’t seen them on the menu too much. It was a nice way to start the night off.

There was also a brief course of bread served with the artichoke, and I thought it was well-executed. The bread was delicious, and the olive oil accompaniment was seasoned just right. It wasn’t earth shattering or anything, but it was a nice touch.

The steaks, chicken supreme, and lamb shank appeared shortly after we were done with our appetizer. It wasn’t quite immediate, but we weren’t waiting long. The plating was uniformly excellent, and created visually appealing (and appetizing!) color arrangements.

The lamb shank was simply divine. Perfectly braised and lightly spiced, with a delightful cashew risotto underneath. I had a small piece, and I have to say it was amongst the best lamb I’ve ever had. The risotto was maybe a touch blander than I would have made it, but it complemented the lamb perfectly.

The hanger steaks were also done to perfection, with a firm crust and reddish, medium rare done-ness. My kids devoured theirs in record time, but I snagged a bite and was impressed. The light sauce added a nice hit of acid to the flavor profile, and really highlighted the quality of the meat. The poached egg also looked delicious, but, alas, the children ate them before I had a chance to try it. I did nibble the salad and enjoyed it – the vinaigrette was on point, to be sure.

My chicken supreme was quite excellent. The skin was crisped quite nicely and the chicken was tender and moist. The side of mashed potatoes was creamy and smooth, with just the right amount of salt. The lemon brocollini had just the right amount of chew, with the acid flavor of the lemon sauce giving it a zesty flavor. While I felt the chicken supreme was maybe the least spectacular of what we ordered, it was definitely the price-quantity king of our selections, and I couldn’t really eat more than half of it.

For drinks, we had an alcoholic Atrevido, and a virgin Mojito (mine). I was told that the mocktail menu was somewhat limited, so if you’re looking for a broader selection, you could be disappointed. I wouldn’t say these were spectacular, but they were competently made and tasted delicious.

As our dessert selections, we ordered a chocolate mousse cannou and a pistachio strawberry cake, to be shared amongst the table. The opinion was unanimous: both were very good, but the chocolate mousse cannou was the better of the two. I was especially impressed with the crunch and texture of the puff pastry cannoli, which was rather tasty (my experience is that the mousse is easy to get right, but a lot of places struggle with the pastry part). This isn’t to say that the pistachio strawberry cake was bad – far from it – but it didn’t quite reach the height that the chocolate mousse cannou did.

Our check came promptly when requested, and they packed up my leftover chicken neatly and efficiently. We were there for about two hours, and ended up at about $115 per person. Hard as it is to believe, that’s less than I expected.

If you’re in the Times Square area and looking for an excellent kosher meal for dinner, Bonito is a terrific choice. I won’t lie to you and tell you it was the finest kosher steakhouse I’ve been to, but it was still pretty great and a step above anything locally here in the DC-Baltimore corridor. I’d happily go back again, and I highly recommend Bonito if you’re looking for a nice dinner in midtown Manhattan.

It’s also apparently a very popular choice for birthdays. We saw no fewer than three birthday celebrations, all of which included the neat streamer dessert pictured below.